Means for hanging curtains and other articles



Aug. 8, 1950 WHITMAN MEANS FOR HANGING CURTAINS AND OTHER ARTICLES Filed Jan. 8, 1948 /n ve/l for 1f 0///S Wm T/VA /v Patented Aug. 8, 1950 UNITED.

MEANS FOR HANGING CURTAINS AND OTHER ARTICLES Louis Whitman, London, England Application January 8, 1948, Serial No. 1,188 In Great Britain January 19, 1946 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires January 19, 1966 This invention is concerned with the hanging of curtains and the suspension of other articles including cloth pelmets and so on. @It is already well-known to suspend curtains from rails by attaching the curtain to a plurality .of runners capable of moving along such rail. With the known systems, however, it is first necessary to sew to the curtain a prepared band and then attach suspensory hooks at intervals to such band and connect the hooks to the runners" or slides working on the rail. It is, therefore, tedious to prepare a curtain for hanging and to hang it on its supporting rail.

It is also known to hang cloth pelmets to a rail but hitherto it has been necessary either to stitch the pelmet to the rail or to form an open hem in the pelmet and to introduce the rail into such hem.

Now, the object of the present invention is to provide a novel suspensory system and apparatus for carrying the same into effect which is more economical in cost and time and enables the curtains, pelmets and a variety of other articles to be suspended and taken down with a minimum of effort and trouble.

According to the present invention, the suspensory system comprises an inverted substantially L-shaped rail and a plurality of safetypins formed with a hook portion. This arrangement is such that the safety-pins may be direct- 1y attached to the curtain, pelmet or the like and applied to the rail to hang therefrom yet be capable of sliding therealong. It is preferred that the tip of the hook of each pin so closely approach the shank thereof that the pin must be tilted to permit the edge of the rail to pass therebetween so that once engaged with the rail the hook portion of the pin will not separate therefrom by a direct upward lift.

In order that the invention may be more completely understood two embodiments thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 illustrates a curtain suspensory system according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view to a larger scale of a portion of the apparatus shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line IIIIII in Figure 2.

Figure 4 shows the invention applied to a towel rail, and

Figure 5 is a section on the line V--V in Fi ure 4.

In the construction illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, the suspensory system comprises a rail which in section is substantially of the shape of the letter L inverted, having a vertical limb l and a horizontal limb 2 projecting rearwardly of the limb I from the top edge thereof.

The rail I, 2 is secured at each end to the wall or window surrounded by means of brackets indicated diagrammatically at 3 (Figure 1) and for the-purpose of suspending the curtain from the rail a plurality of safety-pins each formed with a hook portion is provided.

Each safety-pin is formed from a singlelength of wire and has a straight portion 4 pointed at one end for easy passage through the material of the curtain and formed at the other end into a coiled spring 5, the length of wire being then bent into curved shape 6 following which the Wire is bent up to form a shank I and hook portion la, the wire being bent back upon itself from the extremity of the hook 1a alongside the shank 1, and being then bent into a curve 8 constituting' a continuation of the curved portion 6. I

Beyond the curved portion 8 the wire is bent into a loop 9 forming a guard for the pointed end of the straight portion 4 and then into a catch element II] for engagement by the pointed end of the part 4.

A shown in Figure 3 the hook portion 1a is bent inwardly towards the shank 1 to an extent such that while the space between. the tip of the hook 1a and the shank is greater than the thickness of the limb I of the rail this space is less than the Width of the limb 2 of the rail. Thus, when the hook has been engaged with the rail, it cannot be removed therefrom by a simple upward movement.

In using the device according to the invention, each of a number of safety-pins of the form shown in Figures 2 and 3 is engaged with the top edge of the curtain at convenient spacings therealong and the curtain is then attached to the rail by engaging the hook elements 1a over the horizontal limb 2 of the rail.

Owin to the shape of the hook la referred to above, this engagement is effected by engaging the hook over the rear edge of the limb 2 of the rail and then letting the curtain drop whereby the safety-pin takes up a vertical position.

The curtain can now be drawn to the open or closed position by simply pulling it sideways, the hooks riding along the upper edge of the rail I, 2.

Owing to the shape of the hook la the latter cannot become accidentally disengaged from the rail while drawing the curtain since in order to effect this disengagement it is necessary to rock the safety-pin forwardly about the upper edge of the rail l, 2 to enable the upper limb 2 of the rail to pass out of the hook durin such disengagement.

Apparatus according to the invention may be utilised for a variety of other purposes, for example, for suspending towels or garmentsin bathrooms, or articles of wearing apparel in showrooms or display cases, or articles of washing in a kitchen or scullery, it being merely necessary to attach one or more safety-pins to thearticle to be suspended and then to engage the hook portion of such safety-pin or pins with the rail.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate one convenient form of apparatus according to the invention for use as a towel rail.

In this construction the rail i, 2 is held between a pair of clamps each comprising-a clamp portion ll including a slot I2 to receive the rail, aclamping screw 13 and a portion Hi provided .withholes for fixing it, for example, to a Wall.

,In,setting up such a device the two clamps are setat convenient distances apart as shownrin Figure 4 and the rail is slipped into the slots l 2 from above, being clamped into position by the screws l3. This arrangement permits the rail to be readily adjusted symmetrically with regard to the clamps and further anydesired lengthoforail may be employed according to the space available.

A towel rail constructed in accordance with the invention has a great advantage over the usual formof tubular towel rail that the towels or other articleshung thereon to dry. cannot fall off.

Further in the tubular form of towelrail the lengthof rail normallyavailablehaving regardito the space available to receive it will only take two or three towels whereas a relatively short length of rail in a system according to the invention can accommodate a very large number of towels or other articles suspended therefrom.

IcIaim:

A suspensory systemior'hanging curtains and other articles comprising in combination an inverted L-section rail having two flanges at right angles and aplurality of safety pins each formed with a shank and a portion bent round to form a hook with its tip spaced from the shank by a distance less than the width of one flange of the rail, butgreater than the thickness of the other LoUIs WHITMAN.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 7 Date 403,996 Gloekler May 28, 1889 557,083 Porter Mar.'2l, 1896 643,288 Heineman 'Feb., 13, 1900 710,477 Littell 0017.17; 1902 887,573 Baker 'May 12, 1908 1,905,938 J enkinson 'Apr. "2 5, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 382,687 Great Britain Nov."3,1'9'32 

